LEWISTON – The Lewiston Youth Advisory Council and the Lewiston Fire Department have partnered to promote “Is Your Number Up,” an informational campaign to encourage residents and business owners to visibly post their address number for quick identification.
Council member Ryan Reed, who is taking the lead on the project, said, “The youth council and the fire department strongly believe that having a home or business number properly posted is extremely important for safety reasons, as well as for deliveries and visitors seeking to locate an address.”
Chief Michel Lajoie agrees, “Response time is critical during an emergency, and responders would certainly rather be addressing a citizen’s needs versus trying to locate a building number.”
As a kickoff to the campaign, on March 18, the council and Lajoie taped a public service announcement in affiliation with Great Falls TV, with the final product to be ready for release shortly.
A special guest in the PSA is City Councilor Mark Paradis, who experienced a life-threatening emergency at 3 a.m. in 2003. Paradis said he was glad his home address number was visible, enabling the Lewiston Fire Department to reach him quickly.
The campaign will include the distribution of an “Is Your Number Up” poster designed by council member Katie Lauze along with informational flyers throughout the community.
The flyer will note that building numbers should be a minimum of four inches in height and will provide safety tips for structures visible from the road; structures not visible from the road; proper number postings on mailboxes; the need for contrasting colors for number postings; and improved visibility through the use of reflective materials.
Lajoie said, “A fire engine, ambulance or police car can be delayed several minutes trying to locate a correct address. Such time delays can mean the difference between life and death.”
Reed summed up the effort, “You can’t receive help if you can’t be found.”
For more information, residents may contact the Lewiston Fire Department at 784-5713, ext. 213, or visit the Lewiston Youth Advisory Council Web site at www.ci.lewiston.me.us/lyac.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.